Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has called on African nations to embrace Kenya’s Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) as a practical and scalable solution to the continent’s escalating urban housing crisis.
Speaking during the closing ceremony of the 2nd Africa Urban Forum at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre on Friday, Prof. Kindiki underscored the urgency of delivering decent and affordable housing, describing it as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development rather than a political luxury.
Addressing delegates drawn from across Africa, the Deputy President emphasized the need for bold leadership in translating housing commitments into reality. He noted that while affordable housing has featured prominently in Kenya’s political discourse since 2002, successive administrations often fell short due to political resistance and implementation challenges.
“In 2022, President William Ruto made a deliberate decision to actualize the housing agenda and confront the associated political hurdles head-on,” said Kindiki. “Kenya has made its choice—we have chosen action over hesitation. We invite the rest of the continent to move forward with similar urgency and resolve.”
The Deputy President outlined key milestones achieved under the programme, pointing to its growing impact on both housing delivery and economic empowerment.
He revealed that approximately 270,000 housing units are currently at advanced stages of construction, forming part of the government’s ambitious long-term goal of delivering one million affordable homes.
Beyond housing, the initiative has emerged as a major employment engine. According to Kindiki, the programme has already created jobs for about 600,000 Kenyans who were previously unemployed, with plans underway to scale this figure to one million youth in the next phase.
The Deputy President also highlighted the programme’s strong local participation framework, noting that of the 800 contractors handling projects valued at over $5 billion, 799 are Kenyan-owned firms. This, he said, ensures that the economic benefits of the initiative are retained within the domestic economy while simultaneously strengthening local capacity in the construction sector.
Kindiki further challenged African leaders to ensure that the Nairobi Declaration adopted during the forum does not suffer the fate of many continental agreements that fail at the implementation stage.
“The commitments we have made here must go beyond paper. They must be reflected in projects delivered, houses built, and lives transformed,” he said.
He stressed the importance of policy consistency and institutional safeguards to shield long-term development programmes from political transitions, noting that the government is taking deliberate steps to anchor the housing agenda within stable frameworks.
As the forum came to a close, Kenya positioned its Affordable Housing Programme not merely as a construction initiative, but as a comprehensive development tool—capable of stimulating economic growth, creating jobs, and restoring dignity to millions of urban dwellers.
The message from Nairobi was unequivocal: Africa’s housing challenge demands decisive action, and Kenya is offering a model that could help turn ambition into reality.
